Recently scales which have been made and sold generally for home use have introduced digital displays of weights and have, accordingly, used appropriate electronic techniques for generating the digital signals required. It is desirable that such devices be accurate and provide for good repeatability so that the persons using the scales can be assured that the weight displayed is not adversely affected by environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity which have sometimes affected the accuracy of the presently available digital display devices. In addition it is also desirable that such devices be relatively inexpensive so that the average consumer can afford them.
Although Hall effect devices have been suggested for use in measuring mechanical displacement and vibrations by, for instance, Nalecz in Electrotechnics, Vol. IX, No. 8, pp. 469 (1961), it was never previously considered that such Hall effect devices could be used as the transducer in a scale, particularly an inexpensive bathroom type scale.